Sabino Arana Avenue, Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

The renovation of Sabino Arana Avenue in Bilbao is a clear example of the urban transformation of an industrial capital into a centre for culture and services. The removal of Sabino Arana viaduct – one of the city’s main interchanges – completely transforms Basurto neighbourhood, which is no longer used as a point of entry to and exit from the city, and instead becomes an urban space for citizens’ leisure and coexistence.

The project consists of three major interventions. The primary intervention is the demolition of Sabino Arana viaduct, together with the relocation underground of the railway line and a section of the A-8 highway. This frees up an area of 40,000 m2 with well-differentiated zones: A boulevard with large pavements on both sides incorporating flowerbeds and trees with urban benches, where a traffic lane is retained in each direction; A leisure or recreational area intended for use as a playground; and A large park that combines open air sports areas and pedestrian walkways together with a parking area.

Three models of luminaires edited by Urbidermis, each one in multiple versions, are intertwined along the whole length of the route and adorn the ensemble, ensuring maximum lighting efficiency with minimum pollution and low energy consumption.

Urban lighting, design, lighting efficiency and low consumption
The Candela luminaire, featuring oval geometry and ample illumination, is ideal for road traffic routes. It is presented with two luminaires at different heights and combined with the more linear, minimalist Rama luminaire on the same column, which is always located on the lower part to provide more precise illumination.

The Rama luminaire is also used separately in its different versions, single or double with two luminaires at the same height on a six-metre column and two luminaires at different heights on an eight-metre column. Its sculptural origin as a “tree of light” and its compositional freedom provide great versatility, furnishing the route in both the pedestrian and road areas.

The adjustable Arne floodlight enhances the modular arrangement of the open spaces, plazas, playgrounds, and urban lounges.

 The NeoRomántico Liviano family of benches and chairs, made of 100% FSC-certified tropical wood, are combined along the whole route and complement the project’s aim to create a new space for socialising and relaxation.